Director Josh del Sol clearly thinks that "smart" power company meters are a really dumb idea—causing, he says, home fires and radiation overdoses, not to mention a massive violation of homeowner privacy, since it allows for two-way transmission of data into a larger smart grid. This documentary claims that a "corporatocracy" is behind a "soft tyranny" surveillance, using tactics pushed by both big government and business. At first, Take Back Your Power seems to be on solid ground, noting that consumers are unable to opt out, while also showing allegedly untrained power company employees engaging in break and enter operations to install home power meters. In addition, the film makes persuasive claims that the meters are inaccurate, violate the constitutional protections of the Fourth Amendment against unlawful search and seizure, and are subject to cyber attacks. Unfortunately, as the documentary progresses, credibility is undermined by references to a "controlling elite," "controlled freakery," and the Nuremberg trials, as well as overheated remarks ("I feel I've been raped"), the usual unsubstantiated supporting claims of "vast amounts of published science," and the de rigueur ominous music. Extras include bonus footage, as well as instructions on how to disable and dismantle a smart meter (note: doing it wrong could result in electrocution). Treating a potentially important subject with overkill and bombast, this is not recommended. Aud: P. (S. Rees)
Take Back Your Power: Investigating the Smart Grid
(2014) 88 min. DVD: $24.95 ($199 w/PPR from edu.passionriver.com). Passion River. Volume 30, Issue 2
Take Back Your Power: Investigating the Smart Grid
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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